Fantasia Fest Coverage: Hellbender (2021)
Directed By: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
Starring: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
Plot Summary: A teen living in the isolated woods discovers her family ties to witchcraft in this visually stunning and creepy film.
Movies about witches. Some are silly, some are serious and others are somber and disturbing. The horror genre has no shortage of them. It seems nearly impossible to tell a story about the subject matter in a new and fresh way. John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser seem to have cracked the code and delivers a startling new take on a stale horror sub-genre. Right away you cannot help but be totally consumed by the film’s visual style which ranges from a surreal love letter to the films of Ken Russell to smashing head long into Euro ‘70s horror. The filmmakers do a nice job at not only setting a solid eerie mood, but also working wonderfully within what was no doubt a modest budget. Moreover, the filmmakers do an excellent job at creating a world that is so utterly easy to get engrossed in. It’s a good sign when an hour goes by and it doesn’t feel like it. I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention the perfect blending of metal that fits into this world like razored glove. Even though I am not that big into the dark-metal genre, I couldn’t help but be spellbound by the catchy songs. What can I say? I am truly under this movies spell.
On a technical level, the cinematography is excellent (also done by John and Zelda Adams), and the production design and minimalism have a creepy, stark and grotesquely beautiful quality. You just cannot overstate how crisp, stunning and atmospheric this movie drips with. The pacing is also masterfully handled, and the entire thing delivers a lot in a scant eighty-ish minute runtime. It’s one of the few times in a movie where I actually think it could have been longer.
Outside of Hellbenders amazing style and worldbuilding, the other thing that makes this movie work incredibly well is the two leads. Co-directors and co-writers Toby Poser and Zelda Adams conjure up a magic that is truly special. Both Adams and Poser have a real solid connection that radiates off the screen. Having real life mother-daughter cast in those roles was genius, and it helps solidify this primal bond. I will say some of the performances felt a bit awkward which would not be great in any other movie, but I actually argue that this fits the worlds off-beat tone. There are a few saggy plot elements, but I think overall the movie is a master class in how to totally refresh a genre, whilst doing it on a budget.
With a killer metal score, Hellbender is a skin-crawling fever dream and a modern folk-horror classic in the making.
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
